A busy week this week as I have to go down to North Carolina twice for work. The flight down there from Philadelphia is not that long (about 1 hour, 15 minutes) but getting to and from the airport is time-consuming. I am starting to get the itch again to run and did 6 miles around Lake Galena on Sunday (thanks Melisssa!) I got the treadmill delivered yesterday and did a whole mile on it! (Just to try it out). The Blue Dawg running group is meeting tonight, and, if the weather cooperates, I'll be able to do another 5-6 miles.
Throughout this blog, I have referenced various people who I run with and referenced this Blue Dawg running group. I've never stopped and explained the history of this group and how it came to be. It's not a long history. In fact, we just celebrated our 2nd year anniversary! But, here's the story:
TZ Sports (http://www.tzsports.com/) in New Britain, PA, would host a running get-together on Wednesday nights in the spring/summer (basically Eastern Daylight Time period). They did this for years in their old location in Doylestown and their new location. But, after we set our clocks back, the people who would show up would scatter for the winter doing their own thing. I certainly was one of them and took a break from running until the spring. I thought playing racquetball over this time would be enough to keep me in condition but I was proved wrong every year.
Two years ago, as the days of the Wednesday runs for the summer were winding down, there were discussions of keeping this group together for the winter. I was somewhat hesitant as, afterall, it does get cold outside in the winter. Who the heck wants to run in the cold? But, I agreed to stay around for the fall and see where it goes as it gets colder. We all agreed to meet in the Genuardi's parking lot in New Britain and continue the Wednesday night run through the neighborhoods.
The reason we agreed to meet in the Genuardi's parking lot and run around that particular neighborhood are twofold (a) there was enough lighting in the streets that we should be seen by passing cars and (b) our 'scout' team to look at potential courses thought this would be flat enough that everyone would enjoy. We noticed a little problem after that first run. There were hills. As a matter of fact, the only flat piece of ground is the area we start in. We've since come to realize that if you send out a scout team they really shouldn't be riding bikes to evaluate a course to run on. (won't mention your name here, Kel) (Note: we have since moved our starting spot to Philadelphia Sports Club, once known as Highpoint. And, yes, there is a reason it was called Highpoint as we now go down the hills and climb back up to get back to our cars!)
As time went by, we thought it would be nice to hang around after the run for an adult beverage or two. Luckily for us, there happened to be a watering station in the same parking lot as Genuardi's called 'The Blue Dog Tavern'. As the night went on, it was established that this little Wednesday night running group do hereby proclaim to be 'the Blue Dawgs runners' (had to change the spelling of dog to make sure we don't infringe on any trademarks).
After awhile, we established a Blue Dawg government with Blue Dawg rules. I was elected Vice President, not because of any platform I stood for but because I didn't go out with them the night of elections! It's all a bit silly. But, it's all about laughing and having a good time.
I look forward to the first e-mail of the week announcing plans for the upcoming Wednesday run. Where are we going to meet? Who can make it? Who can't make it? Who's doing the lake instead? Everyone has their individual training needs for upcoming races but that doesn't mean we aren't there cheering each other on virtually. And, it is nice to see each other at the local races as well.
The past two years have meant a lot to me to bond with this group. We all have had our share of high times but we have been there for each other when we've had low moments as well. We've gotten to know each other for who we are. We felt each other's pain and pulled for each other along the way. And most of this wasn't about the highs and lows of running. It was about our lives. Running just brought us together.
I want to thank Eric, Kel, Diski, Joeski, Mitch, Mark, Melissa, Mike, Boyd, and sometimes Chief, :-) for running with me on Wednesdays, Sundays and local races. And thank you for making, not just running, but life in general, more enjoyable.
I encourage everyone to try to join a running group. The miles will go by that much faster.
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